The Carlton School Board has announced it will submit its application to switch to a four day school week.

The announcement was made at a public hearing on Monday night amid strong opinions from the community both for and against the proposal.

As previously reported, parents in particular have come out against the change. They say the extra day off from school will just lead to more kids sitting at home and staring at screens all day. They also expressed concerns about an increased burden of childcare on Fridays.

Proponents of the proposal say the shorter school week will have benefits for both Carlton students and teachers. A shorter week would help improve the mental health of students, and with teachers continuing to work on Fridays they would have more time to plan lessons for the next week. It would also help the school district address some of the operational costs that have caused trouble across the midwest region with declining student enrollment.

Under the plan, the school would still provide free breakfast and lunch for students on Fridays, and offer childcare services for younger students. The school would also offer things like volunteering options and academic help to give students something productive to do on the day off.

To make up for some of the lost time from eliminating Friday classes, school would last 25 minutes longer for the other four days in the week.

Now that the Carlton school board has approved the plan, they must submit their application to implement it to the Minnesota Department of Education by Monday.